With You
by Jamie's Spawn
Summary: Max begins to have feelings for Alec. When they go on a deep cover mission with some other transgenics to protect the citizens of Terminal City, things start to heat up. And not just with their love lives! -CHAPTER 4 UP!-
1. Reunited

With You – Chapter One

Disclaimer: Nope, they're not mine. I wish… but the only ones I own are the ones never seen on the show.

A/N: I'd just like to say a huge thanks to all who reviewed my last fic! I really enjoyed your input, and I'm using it to make my fics better. And just to let you know, the only flashbacks I plan on having in this one won't be from the show, but they'll kind of give a deeper meaning to the fic. If that makes any sense… Anyways, just some things to know for this one: I added an '09er to the story who was never mentioned before. You'll know when you get to that part. I just hope I get as good of a response as I did for the last one!

~~~

Max sits at her desk, which is cluttered with various papers, as she goes over the latest report. Alec enters with a wide grin and smug greeting.

"Hey, Max. Been looking for you."

She looks up from the paper she was reading, half annoyed at the interruption.

"What do you want? Make it quick, I've got work to do."

She was still pleased at the unexpected break from long lists of facts and statistics.

"Nothing in particular. What, is there something wrong with stopping in to say hi to one of my favorite transgenics?"

She can't help but smile to herself because of his charm, sure not to show any outward emotion and ruin the game. It was becoming more and more frequent.

"Yeah, and do you remember what happened the last time you 'dropped in to say hi'?" 

"You totally spazzed out on me and said the next time I come in here without a good reason you were going to kick my ass."

"Exactly."

She looked at him with those deep, brown, conniving eyes of hers.

"All right, but before you get any ideas in your head, I actually do have a reason for coming here."

At the doubtful look in her eyes, he added, "Seriously!"

"All right then, spit it out."

"Mole got word of a supply truck that broke down about four miles outside Sector 6. The main problem is, if the Sector Police search it, I don't think they'll let them off with a pat on the back and a free ride home when they find the stash of guns and ammo."

Max's features turn serious.

"Damn. Okay, you and I will go check out the scene. We can leave Mole in charge while we're gone. Go find Dalton and Zander. Tell them we're moving out, we can use their help."

"You got it, Maxie."

She cringes at the use of the nickname he gave her, but inwardly she feels flattered. She has never been so close to someone like him.

A transgenic who wasn't from her unit.

Sure she told herself she had feelings for Logan, but did she?

Did she really fall in love with an "ordinary," or was she just using that as an excuse to stay in Seattle?

That is the least of her worries at the moment.

The more pressing matters were White and his Familiars, the exposure they got, and the impending doom that was sure to come with the start of this war.

This is the last thing she wanted to happen.

All the bloodshed.

Death.

They couldn't even turn on the television without seeing interviews with "concerned citizens" who think exterminating all the freaks is the only way to go.

Forget about trying to find a civil way to solve this. The only thing they have on their minds is destroying all the transgenics in Terminal City, and then moving on to other areas and terminating the rest of the transgenic scum.

It's not like they're any different from regular, run of the mill people. It's not like they have souls, or rights, or feelings of their own.

They don't look the same as ordinary humans, so they're not welcome.

They're killed in cold blood, and no one does anything to stop it.

It's despicable.

Max is drawn out of her train of thought when Alec, Dalton, and Zander come to tell her everything is under control and they're ready to move out.

"Max, you okay?"

Alec can't help but be concerned.

"Yeah… Yeah, I'm fine. I was just thinking about all that's going on right now. I wish things were different."

"I know, Max. We all do."

They stand in silence. Dalton scuffs his shoes on the concrete floor.

Zander runs a hand through his sleek, blonde hair, thinking of something to say before he breaks the uncomfortable mood.

"Everything's in order. I'm ready when you guys are."

Max looks up from the stain on the floor she was studying earlier for lack of anything else to do.

"Follow me. We'll head outside and make our way through the slums. Make as little contact as possible until we reach our target. Got it? Good."

She heads for the door, brushing against Alec as she does so. The rush she gets every time they even slightly bump into each other is enough to send her senses reeling.

"Don't try and pull anything, you hear me?"

"You got it." He nods.

Normally he would feel slighted if she treated him this way, but he knows it's more of a routine nowadays.

For so long they would tease one another and see who could piss whom off more. Now it was different. 

It was as if they grew closer, even when their actions would be thought to drive them farther apart.

They walked straight through the center of TC, passing trained soldiers hard at work.

They reach the outside and head for a manhole just to the right of the main base of operations.

Their trek through the sewers isn't a pleasant sight. The things they find in there are unbelievable, but in a world like this, stumbling on a dead, rotting body is an every day thing.

Max stops before a ladder leading up to the broken world.

"You've got your orders. We're heading for a black military issue truck about five clicks beyond the Sector 6 perimeter. And whatever you do, don't fall behind."

They nod an assurance to her and then ascend to the light.

Max lifts the manhole cover, glancing around to see how many people are there.

When the coast is clear, she shoves the metal cover aside and lifts herself out of the dirt and grime of the sewer into what can only be described as a dirty city rivaling that of the sewer.

After they're all out, they proceed through the half-deserted streets.

At a glance, Seattle is nothing but a run down city looking for its big break and finding nothing but graffiti and trash in every direction.

But if you take a look at the people, they're anything but depressed.

They hear about "post-pulse this" and "post-pulse that," but when it all comes down to it, it's nothing but the past and a dream for the future.

If the future ever comes.

If this war is as big as it's cracked up to be, it may just be the Apocalyptic end to all of man kind.

Max shakes the thoughts of gloom and doom off once more and focuses on the task at hand.

They are only a matter of feet from the fence separating Sector 6 and Sector 7. She didn't realize how much time had passed while she was day dreaming again.

She motions for them to go towards the forest.

They creep along the side of a half-dilapidated building and blur into the trees.

They stop about a few feet from the edge and scan the roadway, searching for the supply truck.

Dalton and Zander spot it about a mile down the road.

Max pauses as she feels Alec's breath tingling its way down her neck.

She quickly clears her head and they blur towards the truck, staying in the forest and watching for twigs that would give them away.

Just in case.

Max and Alec make their way down the hillside, leaving Dalton and Zander behind as lookouts.

They get up against the truck and slide their way towards to front. They slowly look in the window and see that the driver abandoned it, taking the keys with him.

"Great."

Max moans.

Alec offers his assistance.

"All right, why don't you get in the driver's seat and I'll take over from here. Deal?"

"Whatever, just don't screw this up, or else-"

"Yeah, yeah, or else you're gonna 'kick my ass.' Spare me the lecture."

He adds emphasis to the "kick my ass" part, trying, and succeeding, in sounding just like Max.

Max freezes as she hears movement in the shadows cast by the dense forestry a while down the road.

No one else is supposed to be here and Dalton and Zander are just up the hill from them.

She fights the tension in her muscles. She has to be ready in case of an ambush. What a travesty it would be if TC lost its leader and second in command.

Max looks to Alec, who has the same wide-eyed expression she does.

Before either can make a move, someone blurs past Alec, knocking him to the ground in front of the truck.

Krit stands over him, looking down in mock triumph.

"Some leader, don't you think?"

He laughs and motions behind him.

Four more people, all transgenics, come out of the shadows and walk towards them.

Max is overjoyed as she recognizes them all.

Jondy, Syl, Zane, and Aletha all take their turns in greeting Max.

"I missed you guys so much! Thank God you're all safe."

Syl turns and looks at Alec, who brushes the dirt off his coat and looks bewilderedly at Max.

"We owe most of it to Zack," she said, grinning as she turned back to Max.

Dalton and Zander come up behind Max after watching Alec get thrown to the ground, just to be sure everything was all right.

"Max, what's going on?"

Dalton is just as confused as Zander, who just stands there with a confused, half-hearted grin as he eyes up the new recruits.

"Nothing's wrong. These are some old friends of mine. Fellow escapees."

They grin and say their greetings as Max introduces them.

"So when do we get to see the famous Terminal City?" Aletha asks, her voice rich with a southern accent.

Max notes to herself that she must have made her way into one of the southern states after they fled from Manticore on that cold, wintery night back in 2009.

Alec opens the hood of the truck and starts tinkering around inside as he replies, "Sooner than you think."

Syl watches him again, noticing the slight differences between him and Ben.

"So, you're Ben's twin…"

He looks up from his work, banging his head off the hood as he does so.

"Yeah. I've heard stories about him. At first I thought he was a complete loon, since his little freak out had me sent to Psy Ops for a lengthy amount of time. But then after what Max has told me, he seems like he was a pretty good guy."

Max glances at the ground, willing the tears that threaten her eyes not to come to the surface. Alec notices and quickly changes the subject.

"Hey, does somebody want to give me a hand here?"

Syl volunteers and goes over to take a look.

Max recovers from almost breaking down right in front of them and continues friendly conversation.

"So how did you guys find us?"

Jondy jumps in to answer her question.

"It's all over the news. Krit saw a news report and contacted all of us, asking who was in for a reunion. I wasn't about to pass up a visit with my favorite little sister, now was I?"

"Besides, somebody needs to keep you in line," Aletha kids, nudging Max's shoulder.

The truck starts, cutting their talk short.

Alec comes around to the passenger side where the crowd is.

"All it took was a little team work," he says, winking at Syl.

Max grins, a little surprised at how well Alec is hitting it off with the groups of rebels. 

But then again, he won her over, didn't he?

~~~

How was it? Whatever you have to say, I'd love to hear it. Please leave a review! The more I get the faster I'll update!


	2. Boob Tube

With You - Chapter Two

Disclaimer: Nope, not mine. Too bad though, 'cause I wouldn't mind having Alec all to myself.

A/N: I'd just like to say a huge thanks to all my reviewers!

RGAP48 - Yep, I know which characters you mean *wink* They should be making an appearance in the next chapter.

Ting - There's more about Max's siblings in this chapter. There's gonna be some more in the next as well. Glad you liked it!

Sockbrain - Well, actually my other story was done. I tend to do some short fics to get in the swing of things, and that was one of them. But if anyone would like to continue it, like adding what happens after they. you know. that'd be perfectly fine! I think it would be cool to see someone else's take on the situation. And I hadn't actually realized I made Max seem kinda fragile, so thanks for pointing that out! I can use it though, because now that she's responsible for so many lives it has to be affecting her somehow.

Gamegirl452 - Glad you liked it! Hope this counts as a quick update, lol.

M/a fan - Glad you liked it. And there's some more MA interaction in this chapter, so I hope you enjoy it too.

And last but not least, I'd like to dedicate this to Rose. You're a great friend, and I know I can count on you!

***

The supply truck rumbles down the road as the reunited siblings converse inside.

Zane is in the middle of explaining life after the escape.

"That first night out of Manticore was so different from anything I had ever experienced before. I think it was just knowing that there wouldn't be training at the crack of dawn and how there wasn't as much to worry about anymore."

"I know that feeling," Krit adds.

Max is still curious.

"So where did you go after that?"

"I roamed around, looking for a good place to settle down. I managed to hitch hike my way to LA, and that's where I found an abandoned apartment building. I made some friends, and that was how I got the cash and food I needed to survive."

Alec is fast to quip from the driver's seat.

"You know, for being cracked up to be a bunch of traitors and low-lifes who ditched us back at Manticore, not thinking about what the rest of us had to go through, you all seem quick to take the high road and do what's right."

He gets glares from all throughout the truck and recovers from his harsh remark.

"Jeez, sorry. I didn't mean for you guys to take it personally. It's just we had it rough after you left."

"So I've heard." Syl scowled across the cab of the truck from the passenger's seat.

Max doesn't want him to start anything. Not now.

"What the hell do you mean by 'take the high road?'"

"What I meant was, I'm sure there were _other_ ways to get the cash. But instead of clashing with the wrong arm of the law, he got the money the same way anyone else would. Either bumming it off friends or getting a job."

"You know what, Alec? Maybe you should consider keeping your mouth shut the rest of the way back."

She has the sudden impulse to slap him upside the head but urges herself not to. Instead, she turns her attention back to Zane.

"Now, you were saying?"

"Right, so a few years passed and when I was fifteen I figured I ought to get a job. So I started training to become a mechanic. I almost freaked out the guy I worked for when I picked things up so fast. Then later, after that Eyes Only message was broadcast saying Lydecker knew our locations, I jumped in my truck and just drove. No real destination in mind, just the open road and a collection of CDs."

Max nods and sits in silence, almost expecting Alec to blurt out another of his comments, but to no avail.

He obeys her earlier order, one hand gripping the steering wheel and the other resting on the door.

"I'm a little surprised we didn't bump into each other around that time," Jondy states.

"How so?" Max asks, trying to dig deeper into their lives, gathering as much information from life after the escape as possible.

"Well, while he was out and about, I was headed for Canada from San Francisco. After all, that's what Zack would have wanted."

Aletha speaks up.

"Hey, how is Zack anyway? I haven't heard from him in so long. It's odd, if you ask me."

Krit and Syl look at Max expectantly, waiting to hear the whole story of how she made it out from Manticore a second time. 

On the way to Seattle, they had explained their trek to the facility in an attempt to take out the DNA lab and render Manticore useless to the rest of the otherwise clueless group. They just don't know what happened afterwards.

Max gathers her thoughts, putting together an easy way to break the news to them. They notice this and give her their full attention, anxiously awaiting what she had to say, no matter how horrible it may be.

"Well, you see."

It was a lot harder than she thought it was. Zack isn't just their brother; he is the one that holds them all together. He had worked so hard to protect them, even at his own expense.

"The mission was a success, it was the escape that got screwed up. Zack and I were both shot. His was just minor, mine cost me my life. But he didn't give up. He wouldn't let me go. When they told him I would need a transplant, he jumped at the chance. He took his own life to save mine."

She looks at the shocked faces.

Alec breaks the stunned silence, throwing his vow of silence out the window.

"Come on, Maxie. Tell them the rest of it."

"There's more?" Jondy asks.

"The thing is, Renfro decided to use Zack as an organ donor. He involuntarily donated to soldiers wounded on missions. But Manticore's technology is so advanced, they were able to create replacements for the missing organs."

Alec interjected, "So after it was all said and done, good ol' brother Zack was just like a cyborg from the movies."

Max shoots him a piercing glare.

"_As I was saying, _they gave Zack these implants, and after Manticore burned to the ground, he was picked up by a group of Steelheads."

"Steelheads?" Aletha asked in wonder.

Alec cut Max off, "Local morons. They're big on replacing various body parts with metallic implants."

"So naturally when they got wind of Zack they couldn't pass up the opportunity," Max added.

They wait as the shock of it all wears off and the reality of it begins to sink in.

Syl turns to Max. "Where is he now?"

__

'Great. More bad news.'

"He's safe. His memory was wiped clean after he. tried to kill Logan. Apparently Renfro had the technicians, who were specialized in brainwashing, program Zack to think Eyes Only was the bad guy. They sent him out to kill him. I had no choice but to fry his circuits and make him forget."

"So now he thinks he works on a ranch," Alec added with a slight chuckle, trying to lighten the depressing mood by adding images of Zack working around cattle into their minds.

"So he wouldn't remember us if we passed him on the street," Jondy says, looking at the floor, still taking in all that happened to her brother after the last time that she saw him.

"There's still a chance he could recognize us, though. When he was wheeled past me at the hospital on his way out, he said I looked familiar." Max has a slight sparkle in her eyes, in spite of the bombshells she just dropped.

Zack is alive and well. And now, thanks to Max and the pyrotechnics display courtesy of Director Renfro, there is no way he will be sent back to that madhouse. Not if she and her fellow '09ers have any say in the matter. 

The remaining ten minutes are spent in silence.

Alec takes a right and pulls up next to a high, wire fence. He sticks his head out the window, searching for the guard posted outside. When a head pops around the corner of a large crate, Alec motions to let them inside. The kid nods back and opens the fence, allowing the truck to pass through.

"Home, sweet home," Alec mumbles.

When the truck comes to a halt deep inside the heart of Terminal City, the newcomers emerge and take in their surroundings.

"Not much of a sight, but it's good enough to call home," Max said simply, patting Krit on the shoulder.

Mole appears from the main building to greet them.

"Who are they?"

"Some friends of mine. Guys, this is Mole. Mole, this is Jondy, Aletha, Krit, Syl, and Zane." Max nods at each of them as she gets the first round of introductions over with.

"Glad to have you aboard," Mole states, extending his hand to Zane. Despite his superior strength, his arm is almost ripped out of its socket as Mole vigorously shakes hands.

"Come on, I'll get you guys a place to crash and then take you on a tour." Max flashes a smile towards Alec, nudging him along as she heads for the run down apartment complex just about a block away.

***

As they climbed the stairs of the musty smelling building, they pass by quite a few transgenics just trying to make a living.

A few of them look a little out of the ordinary, and Max makes a mental note to explain the hidden agenda Manticore had hidden down in the basement when they reach the appropriate apartments.

"Okay, first off, the living arrangements will be Zane and Krit, Jondy and Syl, and, uh, Aletha. You wouldn't mind bunking up with one of the fine specimens who live here, would you?" Max rambles off the arrangements she came up with in the truck.

Just as she finishes, one of the fine young specimens overhears and walks up to them.

"I'll share! If it's all right with you, of course."

"Yeah, that'll be just. great!" Aletha begins to get a pinkish color on her cheeks as she studies him.

"Aletha was it?"

"Oh, yeah, that's me. And you are.?"

"Ryan."

"Well, Ryan, I'm sure it'll be a pleasure sleeping with you."

He gets a glint in his eye at her comment.

"What I meant was, it'll be a pleasure _staying_ with you. While we, uh." He smiles at her blunder and takes her hand, leading her to his apartment.

When they're out of earshot, the others begin to giggle.

"_Somebody_ made a friend," Jondy said, trying to calm herself.

"I have a feeling it'll be more than friends," Alec quipped in his usual charming manner.

Max can't help but smile and opens the door to Zane and Krit's apartment.

"There you go. Jondy, Syl, yours is right across the hall," she said, pointing at a door with the faded number 26 on it.

"Thanks, Max," Syl says, as she and Jondy enter their new home.

***

Aletha and Ryan arrive at lucky door number 20. He fumbles for his keys, finds them, and opens the door, allowing her to enter first.

"It's not much, but make yourself at home."

He takes his jacket and tosses it on the chair in the corner of the room.

She walks to the couch, taking a seat and glancing at the paint chipped walls and the brand new television in front of her.

"Huh, wonder where this came from."

He gave her a wry smile.

"A friend of mine picked it up for me. You didn't think I got it illegally, now did you?" he joked, pulling up a chair next to the couch.

"Why would I think that?"

She was stringing him along, working her magic to its fullest.

"I don't think I gave you any reason to believe otherwise. Besides, I really _did _get it from a friend. But taking into consideration that that friend was Alec."

Judging by his statement, her first impression of Alec was correct. He does have a reputation of taking without asking, as well as other things she will learn of at a later time.

"Come on, I'll show you your room and let you get settled in."

As she gets up and walks to the bedroom, she becomes sure that her stay here will be more than memorable.

***

Max and Alec head back for their apartment. Since Original Cindy couldn't possibly live here because of the toxins, Alec was her next best choice.

Besides, he was the best looking guy for miles around. And he can make her smile, which is rare these days.

They walk through the door and he immediately plops down in a chair and turns on his "boob tube."

"What is it with you and that thing? It's like no matter what, your eyes are glued to the screen."

Alec looks up from the music video playing and puts on his trademark grin.

"Aw, Maxie, you won't even give it a chance?"

"No. Besides, I have better things to do."

Alec gets up and goes to grab her arm. She jerks away so he hugs her waist, threatening not to let go until she sits down and watches some television.

"No way. Now let go of me!"

"Uh-uh, you're not getting away that easily."

She tries elbowing him but he doesn't back down for an instant.

A grin spreads across her face and a laugh escapes.

Before she can protest, he swings her up over his shoulder.

"Alec, put me down!"

"I told you that you wouldn't get away!"

He carries her across the room. She dangles, plotting a way to get him back.

Just as he goes to sit her down, she lashes out, tickling him with full force. He almost drops her but instead falls to the floor himself. 

They lay there, intertwined and almost breathless from laughter.

"Damn it, Max. You got me."

He raises his hands in surrender.

"Damn right I did. That'll show you for pulling a stunt like that."

Instead of her usual, serious voice, she sounds more casual.

"Could you at least sit down and watch some TV with me? Please?"

He flashes his pleading eyes at her, frowning and wrinkling his face up causing her to laugh.

"All right, all right. But don't think you can use that against me again."

***


	3. With You

With You Chapter Three

A/N: Huge thanks to all who reviewed the last chapter! You guys sure know how to brighten someone's day. Everyone starts to grow closer in the next few chapters, and then things begin to really heat up.

_

* * *

_

Ryan and Aletha are sitting in his apartment along with Krit and Syl as Aletha continues to explain her experiences in the real world.

"I was about fifteen miles from the border when an Indian medicine man found me along the road. He was on his way back to Arkansas, so he took me along for the ride, eventually adopting me as his own daughter. When I got older, we traveled on the pow wow circuits."

"Pow wow circuits?" Ryan asks inquisitively.

"You take a rusted out trailer and a pet wolf and travel the back roads from one pow wow to another. I had a pet wolf named Sasha. She wasn't mine, but I loved her. She had blue eyes. Her real owner was a Blackfoot."

"It sounds exciting! Think you might be interested in taking us along when this is all done with?" Syl is on the edge of her seat, lost in the conversation.

"Sure thing! While we're waiting, I can even teach you some of the Cherokee language."

Krit adds, "Ah, one of the very few languages Manticore _didn't _require us to learn at an early age."

"Is it hard?" Syl asks, knowing full well that it will only take them a matter of hours to memorize it all.

"For ordinaries it is, since there is no English equivalent. It's more like a syllabus, where each letter stands for a sound, or a cluster of letters. Although, I've seen how fast you guys pick things up, I'm sure you'll get it in no time," Aletha states, a glimmer in her eye as she glances at a smiling Ryan.

Before he can make a remark, she adds, "For example, part of my name in Cherokee is 'Red,' Gi Ga Ge I. You have one character for Gi, one for Ga, one for Ge, and one for I."

"Hey, you're not too bad at this." Ryan smirked.

"I should think so, considering I taught it for a few months a while back." She grinned, thinking about the good times that they are bound to share in the future.

Two young X6s approach the gates to TC, searching for a way in.

Inside the HQ, Dix is monitoring the screens. When he spots them, he motions for Mole to go greet them. Of course Mole, being the anti-social lizard man that he is, tries to refuse but when Dix threatens to call on Max for a ruling, he gives up.

He reaches the gates in no time, ordering the trangenics guarding it to allow the X6s entrance.

"What's your business here?" Mole skips the warm greeting and gets right down to business, his cigar moving as he talks.

"I'm Luke, and this is my, um… close personal friend, Kay. We're here probably for the same reason as everyone else."

"Which is?"

Kay and Luke begin to notice Mole's lack of emotion as he speaks.

"A safe house, away from the ordinaries. In case you haven't noticed already, the city is panicking. They're killing any transgenic they can find and hanging them in the streets for all to see!" Kay is so excited she practically knocks the cigar right out of Mole's mouth as she gestures towards the outside world.

"Okay, okay, no need to get rambunctious. There are plenty of vacancies around here. Just don't expect the Hilton, 'cause this place is far from it."

"Thank you, sir," Luke says, saluting Mole.

"And for starters you can stop calling me 'sir' and start calling me Mole. You hear that?"

"Yes, s- Mole," Luke and Kay say in unison.

"Now follow me, you're going to get a place to stay and chores to do, just like everyone else."

Kay glances at Luke, fighting the giggles that urge to erupt. Mole certainly didn't come off as a nice guy. More like impatient and a little rude.

Max and Alec sit in front of the television. For lack of a more comfortable chair, Max gave in to his pleading and found a spot on his lap.

As the smell of her hair reaches his nose, it sends a tingle up and down his spine. It was enough to render him intoxicated.

Before he realizes what is going on, his hand is stroking her arm.

She notices almost instantaneously, but she doesn't shove his arm away or yell at him to stop. Instead, she feels the need to snuggle closer. He brings her a sense of comfort in their rag tag world, and she doesn't want to lose it.

She repositions herself, trying to seem as if everything is just normal as she moves closer to him. He notices but just shrugs it off.

Half the time Max can hardly stand being around him. And after all, it was a struggle just to get her to sit down and watch with him, let alone to sit this close.

She contemplates whether or not to break the silence that managed to settle between them. It was way out of the usual. Any other time she can't get him to shut up for a nanosecond.

She decides to avoid personal matters for the moment, trying instead to find a comment about the made for TV movie they are watching.

"What's up with this guy?"

"Huh?"

She almost startled him with her words.

"The guy in the movie. I mean, you're telling me can't figure out that the enemy is closing in on him and his team with all that noise they're making?"

"You're forgetting one thing. They aren't genetically enhanced super soldiers with a little feline DNA mixed into their cocktail."

"Oh, right."

The silence creeps back, leaving them once again with an uncomfortable atmosphere.

'Oh God, what the hell was I thinking?' Max mentally slaps her forehead. Unbeknownst to her that Alec is doing the same thing.

"I'm just going to get a soda."

Max goes to get up, but her grip on the arm of the chair slips, sending in close proximity with Alec. Closer than they were before.

He gives her a cocky grin and she returns it nervously.

Their faces are so close they can feel the other's breath on their cheeks. They inch closer.

Closer.

Just as they are about to kiss, Max's pager begins to ring.

Frustrated, she climbs off Alec and goes to see who ruined the moment.

Dix. That can only mean one thing.

More newcomers.

"I gotta blaze. The responsibilities of leadership await me." She rolls her eyes and Alec jumps to his feet, turning off the television.

"Mind if I tag along?"

Mole sits in a chair just below the balcony where Dix has the controls set up, brandishing his favorite shot gun.

His spirits lift a tad when Max and Alec arrive, bickering as usual. They quit their mouth battle when they reach a slightly disgruntled Mole.

"What's so urgent it couldn't wait until later?"

Max folds her arms across her chest.

"Them," Mole says simply, pointing with his gun behind the two X5s at Luke and Kay.

At the sight of Max they stand at attention, just as Manticore taught them.

"X6 182!" Luke exclaims, saluting Max just as he did Mole at their arrival.

"X6 148!" Kay says in the same manner.

"You're not at Manticore anymore. You don't have to do that. My name's Max." She grins; any outward signs of her earlier frustration are invisible.

"Luke," he says, as Max nods and looks to Kay.

"And I'm Kay."

"Welcome to Terminal City, the home of more transgenics than you can count on your fingers and toes. Great to have you on board. I think I'll leave it up to Mole to assign you both jobs, since you guys seem to be such great friends," Max smiles cheekily.

"Just my luck," Mole says under his breath.

"Don't mind him, he'll grow on you. With time." Alec slaps Luke on the back and winks at Kay.

"And now that that's done, Alec and I have some things to sort out in private. So we'll be leaving you rug rats on your own. Oh, and one more thing. Play nice."

With that Max and Alec walk back towards their apartment, Max waving at Joshua as they leave.

_

* * *

_

La Vito – Don't worry, there might be a little bitchiness between them in a couple chapters, but nothing to worry about :) Thanks for the review!

RGAP-48 – I hope you liked Kay and Luke ;) More of those two in the coming chapters. Glad you're enjoying it so far!

Athena80 – I couldn't resist, I had to add the boob tube part, lol. Glad you liked it, thanks for the review!

Keep them coming!


	4. Zephyr

With You Chapter Four

Disclaimer: Not mine. Although I wish Alec's blue towel would show up on Ebay…

A/N: As always, your reviews have brightened my day! And I'll just say this now, things between Max and Alec get worse before they get better. But trust me, they'll get the happy ending they deserve.

***

Max rushes Alec out of the room and Joshua comes down from the balcony and stands beside Mole.

"Little Fella and Alec acting weird."

"I hear you, Josh. It's not like Max to just take off like that."

"Pretty whack."

An incoming video call from Logan interrupts any further pondering on what was really going on between Max and Alec.

"Hey, um... Jinx? No, no that's not it. Dick?"

"Dix," he replies coldly.

"Dix, right. Is Max around?"

Logan tries to look over Dix's shoulder at the happenings in the base of operations, but to no avail.

"No, actually she's kind of busy at the moment. She had some important business to take care of with Alec and stormed out of here. But I can tell her you called."

"Oh… Yeah, that'll be great. Um… Bye."

"See you around."

Dix hits a button and the screen flickers to black. He goes over to the edge of the balcony and picks up where Mole and Joshua left off.

"You want to know what I think?"

"Go ahead," Mole says, turning to face him.

"Those two sure have gotten closer in the time they've been here. Maybe they're…"

"An item?"

Mole turns back to Kay, giving her a look that almost states she spoke out of turn.

"Exactly," Dix says, a grin plastered across his face.

"Little Fella and Medium Fella gettin' busy!" Joshua exclaims. Just the thought of it, his two best friends hooking up, excites him.

"I wouldn't take it _that_ far. Not yet, anyway," Mole replies to Joshua's exclamation.

"Sir, with all due respects, I think we need a place to stay for the night."

Mole's annoyance returns with Luke's statement.

"Hold your horses, I didn't forget about you. Josh, why don't you escort these two 6's to their new home?"

Joshua's excitement almost knocks Mole to the floor when he slaps him on the back, saying, "Okay!"

"But sir-." Luke is quick to question Mole's actions.

"'But sir' my reptilian ass. Go with Joshua, and that's a direct order! You understand, soldier?" Mole didn't normally take this tone, trying to devoid himself as Max had of all that is Manticore.

"Yes, sir." 

"Follow me." Joshua heads toward the door Max and Alec had exited not fifteen minutes before. Luke and Kay follow in suit.

***

Max reaches their apartment moments before Alec, bursting through the door.

"Max, what's with you tonight?"

"Nothing."

"I'm not buying it. I know there's something you're not telling me. Come on, it's me. You can tell me anything."

"Why don't you take a guess."

"Wait, are you freaking out about what happened earlier?"

He looks her straight in the eye before glancing at the chair in front of the TV where they almost kissed.

"Maybe."

"Max."

He flashes those hazel eyes at her, begging her to just open up to him. She feels entranced by them. It is as if she's seeing Alec in a totally different light.

"It's nothing. Really."

"You sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Why wouldn't I be?"

She prays to God that he drops the topic.

"You just seemed a little… You weren't yourself out there."

"Like I said not three minutes ago, I'm fine. Why do you care, anyway?"

She surprises him with her sudden mood swing. He can sense there is more that she's not telling him, but decides not to press the matter, at least not this instant.

"Hey, I wouldn't want the supreme ruler of transgenic central to go all mellow on me, now would I? Besides, you've always been there for me in the past when I needed a listening ear, so I thought I'd return the favor."

"Noted. But all I need now is some sleep."

"Shark DNA giving up on you? I recall you saying you didn't sleep."

"With all that's happened lately, my body needs to catch up somehow. Now if you'll excuse me…"

She brushes past him on her way to her bedroom, sending an enticing chill up his arm through his coat. She stops at her door and looks back to see that trademark grin.

***

Zane is unpacking the necessities from his duffel bag that he brought for the journey to TC. Krit heads to the refrigerator looking for some grub. He opens the door to find a few empty beer bottles and a box of baking soda.

"Tell me again why I thought this place would be stocked with something to eat?"

Zane looks around the door of his room.

"Who knows, maybe the welcome wagon will show up on our doorstep any minute now with fresh pizza and a case of beer."

Krit chuckles to himself.

"I'm going to go across the hall and see if I can scrounge up anything there. Want to come?"

"Count me in. You go ahead, I'll be over in a second. I just need to make a phone call."

Krit takes the beer bottle out of the refrigerator and tosses them in the sink. As soon as the door is closed behind him, Zane whips his cell phone out of his pocket. Cursing when he can't get a signal, he walks to the opposite side of the room, grabbing his coat and he heads out the door. 

The halls are empty, for the most part, and Zane makes it to the outside without bumping into any transhumans. He finds an alley across the street and enters into the darkness. Flipping his phone open once again, he heaves a sigh of relief when it gets the signal. He dials the number and waits for an answer.

"Come on, I don't have all day."

At long last, a voice picks up on the other end.

"Hey, it's Zane. I'm inside."

He listens as the voice replies.

"I know to wait for the zephyr." The code word rolls off his tongue easily. The secret meaning remains unknown to any eavesdroppers. 

"Good work, soldier. I'm looking forward to the outcome of this plan." The voice is cold, almost unnerving.

"Thank you, sir."

The line goes dead as the voice hangs up. Zane stashes the phone in his jacket and returns to the building.

***

Jondy is sprawled out on the sofa reading a magazine. Krit, much to his disappointment, was unable to fulfill his appetite with only an apple. Syl is searching the cabinets for any food that might have been left behind.

"You can tell this magazine dates back to pre-Pulse. Nowadays it's rare to come upon anyone wearing designer dresses and brand new high heels. It's like a big slap in the face, don't you think?"

Jondy looks up, watching Syl close the last of the cabinets and turn to Krit, empty handed.

"It's a shame we were too young to remember any of it," Syl replies, jumping onto the counter and sitting down.

"It's not like it would make a difference. Lydecker had us on a leash and chain. There was no way we could have begun to enjoy it." Krit's words totally ruin the mood.

"Gee, thanks for reminding us," Jondy quips back, sarcasm oozing from every word. It is still a relief for all of them that Manticore is gone for good this time.

"Reminding us of what?" Zane strolls through the door, catching Jondy's comment.

"Pre-Pulse back at Manticore," Syl fills in the blanks for him.

"Ah, the good old days." He gets a far off look on his face. He comes back to reality when he remembers who was just arriving at the same moment as he was. "By the way, you've got some more guests."

He moves from the doorway, allowing Aletha to enter.

"Did I miss the party?"

Syl cuts straight to business.

"So, you seem to have grown attached to a certain someone."

Aletha tries to act as if she has no idea what Syl is talking about, but she knows full well that they have caught on to her newest crush.

"What do you mean?"

"Ryan. How you can't seem to take your eyes off him for a second."

Jondy feels as if she should jump in but sits it out as Syl has her fun.

"What about Ryan?" She gets knowing stares throughout the room and adds, "He's… a friend."

"_Just_ a friend?"

Syl is having more fun with this than she expected.

"That's what I said. He's nice, sweet, caring-."

"Sexy, steamy, the stuff dreams are made of. I know you, Aletha. You _love_ him, don't you?"

"I wouldn't take it _that_ far."

"I knew it! So do you see this going anywhere?"

Syl is on the edge of her seat with anticipation, not wanting to pass up a chance of playing matchmaker.

"I don't know, I just met the guy!"

Zane, Krit, and Jondy are all trying to sustain giggles from Syl's performance and Aletha's replies.

"Okay, so I think I'm going to head back now." Aletha gives them all a look, silently telling them not to say a word about any of this to Ryan.

"What, so soon? I was just getting started!" By this point Syl releases a laugh, giving Aletha all the more reason to go back to Ryan. Due to Syl's outburst, the others follow, the laughing low at first but rising louder as Aletha closes the door behind her, leaving them to have their own fun while she goes to find hers.

As she walks back to her new home, she goes over what just happened in her mind. Was she really falling for a guy she just met?

Before she can work out an answer, the door to apartment 19, across the hall from her own, swings open, revealing one fine looking X5.

"Oh, hey! So you're the new neighbor Ryan mentioned before he left. I'm Joey." He extends his hand to shake hers, but all she can manage is three words under her breath.

"Sweet fancy Moses…"

***

Sockbrain – I know I said this in my last email to you, but thank you, thank you, thank you! I really appreciate your help as a beta reader. Glad you liked the chapter!

RGAP-48 – Oh yeah, I think Kay and Luke decide to make it their jobs to annoy Mole. And there's definitely going to be more kissing in later chapters, for a few couples ;) I'm glad you enjoyed it!

Jessica – Well, I don't know it that counted as good things, but at least she didn't punch him. Things will be kind of weird with MA for a while, but it'll get back to normal eventually and then things start to get good. Trust me. Thanks for the review!

Natasqi – Wow, you reviewed both of my fics! Thanks! I'm so glad you liked them.

Willow98002 – Thanks! I hope to have some more MA scenes after the tension between them dies down from their little "encounter" earlier. Glad you liked it!


	5. Fish Tan and Plastic Pants

With You Chapter Five

Disclaimer: Not mine.

A/N: Okay, the plot is touched on in this chapter, so within the next couple of chapters everything starts moving faster. And just as a warning, this chapter is not Logan friendly! Any Roller Boy lovers out there, this isn't for you. Other than that, enjoy! And so sorry about the late update, it took a while to get back in the swing of things. I promise I won't let it happen again! Or at least I'll try!!

***

Joshua leads Kay and Luke through the dark streets of Terminal City. The only light is that of the fires burning in specific areas around just about every corner.

"What do you think of the city?" Joshua asks, trying to make small talk.

"It's not the posh likes of the uptown area we were in earlier today, but it'll do," Luke answers, gazing around, taking in every last detail of the surroundings.

They turn a corner, coming up on a large apartment building looming up about a block away.

They walk the rest of the way in silence. Joshua turns to them as they reach their destination.

"Here we are."

Luke and Kay strain their necks to see the top of the building where a few X5s are stationed as sentries.

"Tight security around this place," Kay says, smiling at Joshua.

"Have to. Upstairs people try to get in and drive us out. Guards at every building and ordinaries at the gates. Waiting."

"We can take them on if they try anything, right Kay?" Luke grins.

"Of course we can! They don't stand a chance against a city full of genetically empowered beings."

"They don't, but White does," Joshua says, turning to the two young X6s, his face sullen and serious.

"Who is White?"

***

"Sir, our new recruit has arrived."

"Excellent," a man with a serious complexion replies.

"Do you want me send him in?"

"Bring him up in about five minutes."

"Yes, sir."

The man turns to his messenger just before he leaves the room.

"And Otto?"

"Sir?"

"Don't let him out of your sight. Not for a single second, you hear me?"

"Yes, sir, loud and clear."

Otto exits the room and a phone on a disorganized desk rings. The man picks up the phone, "White."

***

Max sits in the still darkness of her bedroom. The silence has overtaken her. All she can think about is Alec.

__

'What is wrong with me? So I almost kissed the guy, big deal. It's not like it meant anything. Or did it?'

She wracks her brain, searching for anything to fill the void besides Alec.

__

'Logan. That's it, just think about Logan. Those glasses that make him look all intellectual. The fact that Alec looks so damn fine without them. Oh God, here I go again.'

She lies back on her soft pillow, willing the depths of sleep to take her in. She tries focusing on Logan one more time.

__

'Logan has such talents. He can do things with a computer that rival that of even Manticore's techies. But his tan, or lack thereof, is nothing compared to Alec's rippling, defined, muscular tone… I wonder what Alec is doing right now… Damn it, I need to get out of here!'

She bolts upright, getting to her feet and grabbing her coat. She pauses before opening the door, checking to be sure that Alec was actually in his room and not watching television again.

When she is sure he isn't in the next room, she quietly opens the door. Glancing around one last time, she sneaks through the living room to the front door. She looks back at Alec's door, a million thoughts racing through her mind at once.

After fighting the sudden urge to rip his door off the hinges in an attempt to see him, she enters the hallway, silently closing the door to her newest obsession.

She stares at the door, her mind almost a complete blank. When she turns around she accidentally bumps into Joshua leading Kay and Luke through the corridor.

"Sorry, Big Fella." She looks at Kay and Luke before saying, "Let me guess, Mole dumped his job you tonight?"

"I don't mind. Kay and Luke are friends." He grins from ear to ear.

"Is that so?"

"Yes, ma'am," Kay replies, forgetting about the first thing she and Luke learned upon their arrival.

"You can call me Max. Any friend of Joshua's is a friend of mine."

"Thank you, Max." It sounds a bit forced coming from Luke's mouth, but Max is sure that it will sink in within a few days. Alec can't stand it when he is called 'sir,' so there is no worry in her mind that they will be getting some practice with what has become so common with her.

"You look exhausted, there's a room just down the hall that is vacant."

"Follow me," Joshua grabs their hands to lead them the remainder of the way with a swift, "Later, Max," as they round the corner.

Max contemplates what to do next now that she made it out of her apartment unseen by Alec. Before she realizes what she is doing, she is knocking on the door of Syl and Jondy's new place.

"Hey Max, we were just talking about you!" Jondy exclaims as she pulls Max inside and closes the door with a quick nudge of her foot.

"Do I dare ask why I'm the subject of the evening?" Max quips, glad to be back with her fellow siblings.

"I think you know why," Jondy adds, trying to make it as obvious as possible as to what they were talking about.

"I'm not following here. Can you fill me in?"

Jondy motions for Max to take a seat as she plops herself down next to Syl of the sofa.

"One word-."

"Alec," Jondy jumps in before Syl can finish her statement.

"Yeah, so what about Alec?" Max isn't quite sure where this conversation is headed, but she sits down in a chair next to the couch anyway.

"You two sure seem to be buddies," Syl says, trying her best to drag this out as long as possible to add to the drama.

Jondy cuts Max off before she can say a single word, "Syl, you know what, why don't you just sit back and let me handle this one? You got all the fun with Aletha, I think it should be my turn now."

"Go right on ahead, sis." Syl winks at Jondy; something Max never would have caught if it weren't for the fact that she is an enhanced fighting machine.

"Wait a minute, are you saying what I think you're saying?" Max hopes it isn't what she thinks. The last thing she needs right now is a reminder that the guy she lives with is the same guy she might be falling for.

"What do you think we're saying?" Jondy is having a great time picking on Max, just like the good old days, only without the drill sergeants and Lydecker breathing down their backs every living second.

"Alec is a great guy and all, he really is once you get to know him, but there is nothing going on between us." Or at least not this very instant.

"Really? Because I think you two have some serious chemistry."

Syl continues to sit back and watch the show unfold as Max begins fidgeting in her seat.

"Come on guys, you don't actually think I would want to get together with Alec, do you?" 

Anything to hold them back.

"Well let me just say this, he could be pretty handle when it's that time of the year again," Jondy smirks, winking at Max who has a mix of shock and confusion scribbled on her face.

She never thought about that. If she feels this way around Alec when she's _not_ in heat, God knows what she might end up doing when she is. And since they live in such close quarters it is going to take a lot of will power to keep herself from jumping him the minute he walks out of the shower. Wearing nothing but that sexy blue towel…

"Max?"

She jumps at the interruption from her daydream.

"Huh?"

"Are you all right? You kind of drifted off for a second there," Syl asks, a hint of concern covering up for knowing she was thinking of Alec.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

***

Aletha recovers from the 'Sweet fancy Moses' that she blurted out not five seconds ago with, "Um, hi. I'm Aletha."

She can feel her cheeks scorching as they turn several shades of pink and red.

"Aletha. I like it!" His face contorts into a beautiful smile, causing Aletha to once again begin staring and go a complete blank.

Joey snaps his fingers to get her attention, "You still here?"

"Oh, yeah, sorry about that." She tries to avoid eye contact, worrying she might lead him on to something more complicated, especially now that she needs to resolve her feelings for Ryan.

"I thought I lost you for a second there. Do you want to go to the club with me?"

"I do-."

"Please? I can show you the most exhilarating time of your life." He flashes her a pouty smile and her knees begin to feel as if they will collapse.

"Count me in!"

"Great!"

He extends his arm and escorts her down the hall.

***

Max closes the door to Jondy and Syl's apartment with a slight sigh. She leans against the door, trying to think of anything else that she can do besides facing Alec. She is startled when her pager blares into the silence of the hallway.

Dix with urgent news.

She sprints to the headquarters, almost overjoyed that she doesn't have to head home just yet.

"Dix, what's up?"

She comes to his side on the balcony overlooking the transgenics hard at work trying to keep the city up and running.

"We've got news on Lydecker."

"What kind of news?"

She was more than willing to listen. After all, Lydecker was the one man who helped them try and take down Manticore once and for all.

"One of our guys got wind on the street from an X5 stationed in Colorado. He said Lydecker knows the location of Sandeman, so I thought we should check it out. You know, to see if it's a bogus lead or not."

"It's worth a shot. I've got a lot of questions for this guy."

"You might want to run this by Alec before you make any decisions."

Alec. That would mean talking to him tonight before she could get over what happened.

"Sure, I'll go pass the info along now."

"What info?"

Max and Dix turn on their heels to see Logan, Aletha, and Joey standing below them.

"We've got a lead on Sandeman, I think we should check it out just to be sure," Max states simply, not too thrilled about Logan's surprise visit to TC.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?"

__

'Here he goes again with that stupid "Be careful" routine.'

"It's not like we have a choice, Logan!"

"I'm just saying-."

"Enough." Aletha steps in, sticking up for her little sister.

"And who might you be?"

__

'My, my, Logan has developed an attitude problem.'

"Aletha, Max's big sister. Who do you think you are, telling her what to do?"

Max doesn't think twice about letting Aletha rip into Logan. It's about time someone told him who is in charge around here, and it sure as hell isn't him.

"I'm just looking out for her. Someone around here needs to."

"And what is _that_ supposed to mean?"

"I just meant that somebody needs to think about her safety! And the way things are being run around here, it doesn't look like there is much of that."

"Oh, and _you_ think you're the one who is capable of looking after Max?"

"Yeah, actually I do!"

"Well let me tell you something, little man! Max's family has been looking after her since we were knee high! Who are you to tell us how to take care of her?"

"Gee, you sure have been doing a good job of that, now haven't you? I guess that's why Max ended up getting shot, more than once!"

Aletha strikes Logan forcefully across the face. Her long, claw-like nails cause four streaks of crimson to appear along the side of his face.

Logan backs down at first, but then gets right in Aletha's face.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" His temper is off the charts, something you don't usually see from the great and powerful Eyes Only.

Joey takes Logan by the arm and throws him to the ground. "Leave. Her. Alone."

Logan looks to Max for support. "Max, are you just going to let them do this?"

Max scowls at him before saying, "I think you should go."

"But Max-."

"Just go!"

Logan climbs back to his feet, brushing the dirt off his plastic-looking trousers. He glares at the assortment of transgenics who have stopped their work to see what the commotion was. Without a backward glance, Logan leaves Terminal City, vowing not to return ever again.

At the sight of his retreating back, work returns to normal. Max goes down to Aletha and Joey, thanking them for dealing with Logan, and takes off for the apartment she shares with Alec to tell him the news about Sandeman.

Running into her home, she sees no sign of Alec so she goes to his bedroom door, straining her ears to catch any sign that he is in there. She can hear some sort of movement and reaches for the doorknob, but nothing can prepare her for what comes next.

She stares in awe at Alec's shirtless, sweating body. He discontinues his workout, surprised to see her in the doorway, let alone the pleased look on her face at the sight of him.

"Yoo-hoo, Max?"

***

SockBrain – Once again, thank you so much for being my beta! The huge Logan bashing part in this chapter was pretty much in your honor :) I promise I'll get started sooner on the next chapter!!

RiotGirl04 – I'm glad you liked it so far! I hope Jondy teasing Syl about Alec was what you were hoping for. And about the tense- I'm just sort of experimenting with this story, it's the first time I've ever done one in this tense, but I'm working on it.

Natasqi – Glad you liked the ending! I kind of have another one with this chapter too. What can I say, Alec working out has to be any girl's dream. Thanks for the review!

Kate88 – Thank you! I'm so glad you liked it. I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations.

RGAP-48 – Well, the third person I mentioned who would make an appearance was sort of brushed upon in this chapter. He should be making his appearance in the next chapter, I hope. And there is going to be more Kay and Luke interaction in the next chapter while they get to know Joshua a little better. Glad you liked it, and thanks for the review!

And I think I probably know the answer to this question, but do you guys want to see more shirtless Alec in future chapters? Because I'll be way more than willing to add that! And since Logan is basically out of the picture now, that leaves more room for MA interaction. Keep the reviews coming, I love to hear what you have to say!

And I hope everyone had a great St. Patrick's Day!


	6. Stomach Flopping

With You – Chapter Six

Disclaimer – If I owned them, either Dark Angel would still be on the air or Jensen would make a grand return to Days Of Our Lives. But that's not gonna happen!

A/N: Okay, after some adjustments and editing tips, I think this chapter is ready to go! And I have some good news for any anti-Logan people out there, he might be making a return in the next chapter, but only for Alec to tell him who's in charge. I promise I won't be nice to the all powerful, stuck up preppy rich kid who needs to get a real life and leave Max alone for once.

***

Max stares for a few more moments as Alec looks at her in wonder. Unable to tear her eyes off his strongly defined muscles and the way they ripple with every movement, realization hits and she averts her eyes to a stain on the floor.

Chuckling to himself, Alec grabs a shirt off the bed and proceeds to pull it over his head, watching as Max contemplates whether or not to move her gaze upward and back into his eyes. 

"Max, you wanted something?"

Max reluctantly pulls her eyes off the stain that gained a remarkable amount of interest in the past ten seconds and stares him directly in those alluring hazel eyes, hesitating to speak while she restrains a hand from reaching out and running through that irresistible tousled blonde hair of his. 

"Right…"

'Stop it! Quit ogling his deliciously defined chest through his tee-shirt and his attractive face and do what you came here to do!'

"Um, Dix scrounged up some information on Sandeman."

At this Alec comes back from wondering why Max is acting so strangle all of a sudden and gives her his full attention.

"Do you know where he is?"

"Somewhere in Colorado. That's all we've got so far."

"Is there anything else?"

"Word on the street says Lydecker is on to him."

"So all we need to do is find Deck and then we've got our 'founding father' all in one shot."

Alec curls his lip in speculation, already coming up with ideas for infiltrating Sandeman's hideout, all the while making Max hope she can go get a cold shower and cleanse these thoughts circulating through her mind right down the drain.

Alec goes to a laptop sitting on a table in the corner of his room.

"Meet me at HQ in an hour. I need to check something out first and then we can go over the details with Mole and Dix."

"All right."

Exiting his room and walking into hers, Max walks to the full-length mirror on the wall and watches as the flushed face in the mirror stares back.

'What the hell is wrong with me?'

The face in the mirror gives off a look, almost as if trying to say the answer is right in front of Max's face. Or in other words, just beyond the wall behind her.

__

'Alec. That is what is wrong with me.'

Ever since they moved into the same place in this toxic city she has grown closer to him. Though still acting the same pain in the ass, smart alecky guy he was when they crossed cells back at Manticore, all the extra time spent with him since then has caused an adoration to grow for the same mannerisms that bugged the hell out of her before.

No, it's as if she can't get enough of his smart ass remarks. Seeing herself in the mirror drifting from consciousness and back into the world of lusting for Alec and she quickly snaps back to the task at hand.

Going to the far corner of her bedroom, Max sits on the floor with knees pulled close and arms wrapped around them. She finds herself doing this more and more lately now that there was so much responsibility riding on her shoulders.

This time, however, she has something more personal to worry about. Sandeman. The one person who has the ability to possibly cure the retrovirus Manticore has cooked up inside of her. He can answer a lot of questions she has been pondering over on the off time at night when shark DNA kicks in, bringing the ever so familiar insomnia back once again.

She removes her arm from her knees and rolls up the sleeve of her tattered but stylish blue B.U.M. sweatshirt and reveals the runes that keep showing up all over her body.

They baffle everyone who looks at them, including herself, especially when Alec insists on seeing them for further observations, but she knows they are a message from Sandeman. Dix's words ring clearly through her memories, saying that the runes are written in ancient Minoan.

She knows they have some sort of message but what that message is remains unknown. Memories of the exact moment that she was standing in Jam Pony during the day this war began return. She remembers Logan telling her what he had decoded thus far.

"When the shroud of death covers the face of the earth, the one whose power is hidden will deliver the helpless."

Whatever that means. 

She looks at the irony of it all. She has spent a few years working as a bike messenger, and now she must 'deliver the helpless.'

She resolves that no matter what it takes, she _will_ find Sandeman. For Eva and Jack, neither of whom got to see what the real world is like. For Tinga, who died trying to protect her family. For Ben, who just couldn't understand why things happened so unlike they did while they were at Manticore. For Zack, because he can't play big brother and try to protect all of them full time.

In the beginning she was the baby sister and everyone would lend a helping hand when it was needed the most, but now she is older. Now the tables have turned and it's Max's turn to protect her family and the rest of humanity as well, even though humanity refuses to accept this transgenic family because of what they are.

***

Joshua's boots thud against the decaying hall floor as he leads Kay and Luke to their new abode. He stops in front of a maple wood door with a tarnished number 34 on the front. Digging through his pockets until he finds the key Mole tossed to him just before they left HQ, he unlocks the door with a slight click. It swings open and they proceed to walk through at the same brisk pace they arrived there with.

Joshua cracks a huge smile across his dog-like face and motions with his long paw around the room saying, "Welcome home!"

Luke walks in, checking out the aged sofa and plopping himself down in an almost forced motion. Neither he nor Kay are used to acting like individuals. Free human beings that don't have to wake up at the crack of dawn every morning for drill practices or be confined to a locked down cell every night.

Kay goes to a sliding glass door that leads to a balcony and fire escape. She goes to the edge, looking out over Oak Street at the various barrels burning through the crisp Seattle night air. 

A few transhumans are sitting in the alley below the balcony, armed with rifles they probably obtained from Sector Police who were lurking around the perimeter of the city and never expected genetically engineered pickpockets to snatch their guns and ammo right off of their uniforms.

Kay turns with bewilderment to Luke, who is sitting on the couch with his hands rested on his lap, not quite sure of what to do next.

"Come look!"

Luke arrives at her side, scanning the street and the view down the alley just as Kay had done moments before.

Joshua rushes across the room excitedly and joins the duo as they notice the "freak flag" flying in the breeze.

"You like?" Joshua asks, looking out over the building next to them.

"It's so… different from everything at Manticore," Kay says, leaning closer to Luke.

Joshua points at a gate guarded by a few of the X Series soldiers beyond the corner of the opposite building.

"That's the North exit. Leads into the back streets of Seattle. Only upstairs people use that exit," Joshua says, using "upstairs people" to refer to the X Series instead of regular people as he usually does.

"Upstairs people?" Kay asks, looking curiously at Joshua.

"People like you, and Max, and Alec. People who look like ordinaries."

Luke nods his head in a fluid motion, assuring Joshua that he understands.

A transhuman with shaggy hair and protruding teeth, which looks as if he has too much rodent DNA in his cocktail, appears in the open doorway.

"Hey Joshua, you busy?"

Joshua spins, flipping his long mane of tangled hair in the process, and peers at the rodent boy.

"You need me?" Joshua asks reluctantly, wanting to stay and visit with his new X6 pals.

"Mole and the guys are having a disagreement. We could use your insight on the topic. Do you want to help?"

"Sure," he replies, and whips back around to face Kay and Luke, "Gotta blaze."

Before they can say their good-byes, Joshua bounds out the door, on the heel of the other transhuman.

Kay and Luke return to looking out over the balcony at all that their new home life has to offer them. Luke remembers something he had seen one of the X5s demonstrating in the Rec room after seeing a movie during the down time of a solo mission, and wraps his comforting arm around Kay's shoulders. She looks into his face, grinning at the mischievous smirk he is showing off, and snuggles closer into his warm embrace.

***

Max looks at her pager and notices the time illuminating through the dim light of her room. Eight o' clock. Exactly one hour after Alec set to work diligently on his computer and told her to meet him at HQ.

She climbs up off the floor and stretches, her mind working to its genetically enhanced ability to make some sort of sense out of all the scenarios that ran through her mind in the past hour.

She keeps resting on the last time Sandeman was almost in her grasp. How it had been a set up. Max can't help but wonder what happened to CJ after he used himself as a decoy so she could drive out of that place in the truck full of kidnapped transgenics. White and his cult whackos are capable of anything. She had a first-hand demonstration of that.

She clips her pager back onto the belt loop of her pants and heads out the door. Notes to herself that Alec has already left. She never can figure out what to expect from him when he snaps back into 494, soldier mode.

His alter ego. Just as hers is 452. 494 isn't anything like the smart ass front Alec puts up. 494 has been plagued by the torture held within the confines of the Psy Ops ward of the same institution she ran from.

__

'I wonder if it was 494 or Alec who was assigned as my breeding partner?'

Since meeting her genetic clone, she realizes what the rest of her unit, and their clones in other facilities, the ones that were left behind like rejected garbage lying along the street, had to go through because twelve X5s decided they wanted to get a taste of the real world and ditched the place they called home for the first ten years or so of their lives.

Max clears these thoughts from flashing before her eyes as she continues her stride down the hall. Promising herself that to make it up to them, she will find Sandeman and do her best to protect Terminal City.

Mole looks up as Max wanders into the headquarters, an almost blank expression coated on her face like paint.

"Hey Max, nice of you to join us," he says in a playful manner, tempting the fires she keeps pent up day in and day out; a game he and Max play more and more often on the less stressful days.

Alec looks up from a report sent to them by an X5 contact drifting through the streets outside TC, unknown to the ordinaries going about their normal lives.

"What did you guys come up with while I was gone?" Max asks, taking a seat on a wobbly stool next to Mole and right across from Alec.

Alec raises his hand to his stomach and proceeds to scratch. Max would gladly handle that itch for him. Her face burns a red hot color and she awkwardly turns to looking at Mole, anything to keep from stomach flopping. 

"If we want to get there in time, we'll have to move out tonight. Tomorrow morning before daybreak at the latest. For safety reasons the good doctor changes his location biweekly."

Max looks down at the report Alec tossed across the table, reading but yet staring, deep in thought.

"I'm thinking we'll be needing a team of about eight, maybe ten, tops, besides you and me, to pull this off successfully," Alec says, looking to Max for her approval.

"Sounds good to me," she answers with an airy voice. "Who do you have in mind?" She looks up from the report as Alec goes to ramble off the first names that come to mind.

"Ryan and Joey, Aletha, Krit, Syl, Zane, Jondy…"

"How about those two X6s who showed up earlier? They seemed like good enough soldiers to me, fresh off the streets. Meaning most of their Manticore training will still be fresh in their minds."

"Oh yeah, 182 and 148, wasn't it? I remember seeing those two back at Manticore. They were the top of their unit."

"Now we just need two more for backup." Max gazes around the room, trying to come up with two more soldiers who are fit for the task.

"Why not 357 and 894?" Alec asks, flashing back to the two X5s sparring in the streets the other night.

"If you think they can handle it, then sure."

"Trust me, they can handle it," Alec beams, grinning from ear to ear.

"That settles it then. We've got our team."

***

HUGE thanks to all my reviewers! Hope you guys have a great Easter!!

RitoGirl04 ~ Who wouldn't drift off when Alec is in the room? Hehe, I'm glad you enjoyed it!

SockBrain ~ Thanks again for all the help in editing this, you're the best! I'm definitely gonna keep my word and never, _never_, be nice to Logan. Alec will always rule the day.

SGOU ~ Yep, Max having feelings for Alec and no Logan, it's like every fans dream, isn't it? Wow, a lot of questions! Zane's part in the story is going to be really important later, and starting in the next chapter it begins to progress with another mysterious phone call. You'll just have to wait and see who he's working for, though :) White's new recruit will also be making an appearance in the next chapter as well, and just like Zane he's going to play a major role in whether this mission goes sideways or not. Glad you liked it so far!

GivenAlias ~ More shirtless Alec it is then! I'm totally on the same page with you about Logan, he's not an important role so it's best to do away with him as fast as possible. But then again, when he's around there's always the potential for Alec's smart ass remarks to make Eyes Only seem like a worthless piece of trash. Thanks for the review!

RGAP-48 ~ I think it's pretty easy to drift from Logan to Alec, lol. Logan is nothing but a pain in the ass, and not in the same way as Alec. I'm glad you liked the ending, I'm hoping to add some more sort of like that in other chapters ;)


	7. Unwanted Return

With You Chapter Seven

Disclaimer - I don't own them.

A/N: Sorry about the delay! Hopefully I can get the next chapter up sooner. This one is kind of short, but the next will be longer. Hope you all like it! Let me know what you think.

---

Joey and Ryan join the assembly of transgenics in HQ, evaluating the facial expressions surrounding them.

"What do we have here?" Joey asks, Aletha's stomach fluttering as she notices both of Ryan _and_ Joey are in on the plan.

"We've got a situation on our hands that involves all of us, and possibly the ordinaries as well," Max says, not looking up from the map spread across the table in front of her.

Ryan moves closer, followed directly by Joey, in an attempt to get a better look. Jondy looks around from behind them all, noticing an MIA.

"What happened to Zane?"

"He's in charge of rounding up the last of our party," Alec says, leaning over Max's shoulders to help outline the perfect route to their destination that would provide for a good cover when they move in.

Alec's scent reaches her nostrils, sending a pleasant shiver up and down her spine. This mission could be a _lot_ worse than she expects it to be.

---

Zane is standing along the side of a brick building; lazily watching as two X6s patrol the border of their haven. Knowing enough to hurry and find Kay and Luke before Max begins getting worried he slowly stalks along the bricks, disappearing into the darkness. As he sneaks behind the corner of a building, a cold hand grabs his shoulder.

"What took you so long?"

The same voice from the phone earlier.

"Take it easy, it's not like I can just walk off unnoticed at the snap of a finger inside a city of genetically enhanced super spies."

"Have you completed your objective?"

"Yes, sir. I have successfully gained their trust and earned a position in the Sandeman Project."

"Good work. Keep this up and there might be a promotion in the future."

Zane salutes and replies, "Thank you, sir. I won't let you down."

The man in the darkness slinks away slowly, leaving Zane on his own. He turns lightly on his heels and returns to his position leaning against the wall, feeling the coolness of the bricks reach through his cotton shirt and send a tingling sensation through him just as the X6s round the corner, just in time for Zane to say goodbye and set out in search of the remaining party members.

---

Kay and Luke arrive at the same moment that Zane does, the two unfamiliar X5s following closely.

"'Bout time you got back," Syl says sarcastically.

Alec addresses the two newcomers, "All right you guys, debriefing on this mission starts now."

The four soldiers stand obediently at attention, feet the proper length apart, backs straight as humanly possible. Max steps forward, rustling the report around in her hands before blindly handing it over to Krit sitting behind her next to Alec.

"We have uncovered a lead that may take us tot he one man who can make or break this situation we've been tossed into. We will be leaving before dayb-."

"Whoa, whoa, hold up. _You _are the head of this mission?" X5 894, Skyler by choice, says, dropping his perfect soldier pose and revealing his true colors.

"Yeah. You got a problem with that, soldier? Because I can easily throw you and your smart ass attitude off this mission and assign you janitorial work for the rest of your stay here," Max says in her usual won't-take-this-kind-of-shit-from-anybody voice. Well, with the exception of Alec, of course.

Kay, Luke, and the other X5 remain standing uncomfortably, their postures swaying uneasily like loose twigs in the breeze.

"What is with the know-it-all CO act? What makes you think we _want_ to follow orders from someone like _you_?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Aletha jumps up from the table, claws poised and ready to strike the minute Max gives the signal.

Max gets up in Skyler's face, temper gauge at the breaking limit, smoke spouting an unfriendly warning. "You want to keep giving me mouth?"

"So what if I do?"

The first of the many remarks that run through her well thought out database of quips shocks her to the core.

'I have zero tolerance for that, zero!'

That's who he reminds her of! The X5 standing before her has very similar features in comparison with Zero, and the same first impressions with her as well.

"If you don't learn how to act around here then I'll have to _teach_ you. And believe me buddy," she grabs the collar of his military issue gray shirt, "the rules around here ain't what they were at good old Manticore."

"Get your hands off of me, filth!" Skyler shouts, sending a chill through the crowd watching intently.

Wrong move.

"Did you just call me filth?"

"You heard me."

Max tightens her grip on his shirt, threatening glares coming from every member of her posse.

"You're nothing but a traitor. Scum scraped from the bottom of the bucket. No wonder you bailed on us all those years ago. And now," he laughs, "now you expect us to obey your every command. To follow you into battle, without the worry that you will run off when the going gets tough."

Max recoils at his burning remarks. That was a low blow if she had ever heard one. If there is one thing that got through that guarded fortress, it is the mention of the escape.

Sometimes she thinks they are right. But then the realization of _why_ they ran from that screwed up institution return and she stands by the decisions Zack made. The decisions that changed her life forever.

Alec runs to Max's rescue, prying her hands off Skyler's shirt. His words are lost in Max's confusion. Drifting in and out of reality, she hardly even notices that he is talking at all. Those words stung her more than life itself.

"Now get the fuck out of here!" Alec roars, startling Max.

Skyler scowls at Alec for sticking up for the one he deems as "betrayer" and turns to leave.

"Wait."

He spins back to them, remaining quiet, following Alec's demanding orders.

"Max, what are you doing?" Jondy says, rushing to her side with Aletha, Krit, and Zane in tow.

"I want him to stay," she says adamantly.

"Max, what are you thinking? He could jeopardize the entire mission if he goes!" Krit exclaims, outraged at the disrespectful X5.

"I want to give him another chance." Max looks at the shocked faces staring back at her.

"What- Why?" Zane stumbles.

"I want him to see that we _aren't_ traitors. That we can do this."

"Max, you don't need to prove yourself to this bozo," Alec says soothingly, trying to talk some sense into her.

"I agree, Max. We can't risk it." Syl was in no mood to put up with a twerp like Skyler.

"I want to gain his trust. And teach him a few things about respect along the way," she answers, shooting a death threat across the room towards Skyler, who has his arms folded across his chest, looking skeptically back.

"I think it might be a good idea," Krit lets up, realizing Max's intentions.

"What about the rest of you? Don't you want to show these people who their leaders are? What we're made of?"

"I'm in," Jondy says with a sigh, and Zane and Aletha chime in as well.

Syl stands there glaring at Skyler, showing her newfound hatred toward him for the entire world to see.

"Syl?" Aletha asks pleadingly, trying to sway her sister into agreeing with the rest of them.

Syl sighs with disgust toward 894, but agrees despite that. "All right, I'm in."

"Hey punk, get your ass back over here," Max demands with the response she was hoping for. Skyler reluctantly returns to his position among his fellow comrades.

"Nice work, Maxie," Alec whispers so only she can hear. Before she can reply, shouting in the corridors stall her.

The doors burst open and a red face appears.

"No, you can't do this!"

Logan.

---

Thanks to all my great reviewers!

Chrissy – Thanks! Glad you liked it.

Natasqi – Thanks for the review! Hopefully you liked this chapter too.

SockBrain – Where'd you go? It might have just been my email acting up again. Hopefully your exams went well and soon you can enjoy summer! Thanks for the review! Hope to here from you soon!

RGAP-48 – Should I hide from the wrath of your whip now? jumps under a table Glad you liked the Kay/Luke scene, there's definitely going to be more of them soon.


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